It’s easy to see why this book was shortlisted for the (now defunct) Text Prize in 2023: it has all the ingredients of a compelling YA contemporary novel. A gorgeous beachside town setting, a wide cast of recognisable characters, modern cultural references, realistic dialogue and interactions, and a variety of personal dramas being faced.
Eddie is our 17-year-old main character and it’s through her first-person point of view that we experience the summer holidays, while getting an inside perspective of the mental burden that has weighed her down for the previous three years. Namely, the drowning death of Jackson, her brother-in-law, which she witnessed.
Since then, Eddie has withdrawn, never acknowledging her stress aloud, but everyone around her knows things aren’t right. Especially her twin brother, Pat, to whom she had been very attached. Eddie only ever looks out for her older sister, Viv, Jackson’s widow, believing she’s the one who needs support.
For all of the heavy themes dealing with grief, guilt, anxiety and trauma, this novel works because the over-arching impact of these issues is sensitively and cleverly woven into the day-to-day reality of the ups-and-downs of life in a community. Present and absent family, old and new friends, work and school mates, falling outs, crushes and first loves – all of these relationships hold Eddie together in different ways. Her flashbacks and memories are peppered throughout, and I was utterly relieved when she finally ‘opened up’, bringing a welcome circuit breaker to the tension. There is genuine growth when she releases her feelings and begins to trust again.
Sad, funny and real, this page-turner is uplifting, and the hopeful conclusion is very satisfying.
Reviewed by Alida Galati
Age Guide 14+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jade Timms has been writing novels for over ten years and reading any book she can get her hands on. She lives with her family on the far south coast of NSW, surrounded by kangaroos, cockatoos and gum trees. She has a degree in archaeology, and once spent a year working in a fine art store.
She is currently living the cliché librarian author lifestyle.
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